Renewal
by Ratchet's Sparkling
Summary: AU. After an unusually harsh winter nobles are coming to Camelot to renew their pledges to the king. But there is only one family Uther is interested in seeing. Will he see his best friend this spring? ON HOLD!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately...**

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><p>It was spring. But the snows from the rather harsh winter still clung to the earth in blinding patches that glinted in the sun and the days still held a slight winter chill. It was the time nobles from all over the kingdom would be pouring into Camelot to renew their yearly pledges to the king. It was the time when she and her husband, a good friend of the king, would travel to also renew their pledge even though the king said they didn't have to: he had complete trust in his friend, her husband. But they went every year regardless to at least see a friend and so she could see her brother, the court physician. However this year she would be making the trip alone-her husband had fallen ill in the autumn and never recovered before the cold weather set in and died shortly after. Hunith knew that with no heir Balinor's land would return to king and she would be forced to return to her home village in a different kingdom. So this trip would be her last as a lady and she could say her good-byes to king and the infant prince who she almost thought of as a son. She would be able to keep in touch with her brother, Gaius but her letters would be irregular and she didn't want him to worry for her. With a sigh, she had the last of her personal items packed and placed on the carriage and began the journey to Camelot.<p>

Young king Uther was standing by the window in his chambers looking out over his lands. He really did not want to go to the throne room and listen to all the whiney and stuffy nobles today, but there was one who he was looking forward to seeing. He had not been able to correspond with Balinor over the winter months mostly because the weather was too cold for animals to be out, let alone people. So Uther had to wait till the yearly renewals to see his good friend. Uther knew he owed the man a great deal for helping him through the death of the queen, his beloved Ygraine last year. He had nearly gone mad with grief after her death and when he found out what his court sorceress did…well, Balinor had stopped him before he made a terrible mistake. Instead of banning magic, Uther banished Nimueh from Camelot upon pain of death should she return. And this year he would make Balinor his new court sorcerer and invite him and his wife Hunith to live in the castle. _Hunith. _That woman intrigued Uther. She was a rather attractive woman for being a peasant married to a lord, but it wasn't her physical attractiveness that Uther was intrigued by, not that he had ever thought of her _that_ way. No, it was her fearless personality and wisdom when she spoke; she was not afraid to speak her mind and did so often but not in a belligerent way. She always seemed to know the right way to say something and leave herself open to be reproached for it. Ygraine was like that and the two women had been close friends. Uther was brought out of his thoughts as a servant came and informed him that the first of the nobles had arrived and were waiting in the throne room. Uther nodded and dismissed the servant. As soon as the door was closed he heaved a sigh, put on his cape and crown and strode out of his room.

Hours passed and Uther had still not seen any sign of Balinor. He hoped he was going to arrive soon he needed someone to talk too besides these insufferable nobles. Someone who would actually listen to him and tell him needed to be said, not what he wanted to hear. Uther was just about to stop for the day and continue tomorrow when he finally saw the people he wanted to see. He had seen the banners of Balinor's house come riding into the courtyard and immediately went back to the throne room to wait for them. But as soon as the doors opened, he knew something was wrong.

He waited until Hunith reached him and called for everyone to leave the room except her. Once they left she gave a deep curtsey and handed him a scroll of parchment. She had yet to meet his eyes or say a word to him.

"What is this?" Uther asked worriedly as a knot of fear began to twist in his stomach as he unrolled the parchment and glanced over it.

"That, my lord, is the deed to Balinor's land. Without an heir, the land is to be returned to the king for him to do with as he sees fit. And as Balinor had no heir and I a mere peasant that land rightfully belongs to you sire" Hunith said her eyes going back to the floor.

"Hunith you know you can call me Uther. And why have you given this to me? Has something happened to Balinor? Is he unwell?"

"Balinor passed during the winter months. He had been ill in the autumn and had not recovered by the time the cold set in. I gave this to you for even though I was married to Balinor, I am still a peasant and hold no right to claim ownership over any of his property" Hunith responded quietly as she looked up at Uther.

Uther was stunned and his mind in a whirlwind. Balinor was dead…no heir…just a peasant. Hunith's words continued to echo in his head as he gathered his thoughts and began to speak to her.

"I am very sorry Hunith. Balinor was a close friend of mine and I regret that I was unable to contact you over the winter. I owe him a great deal for helping me through Ygraine's death. I had planned to make him my new court sorcerer today."

"I'm sure he would have been honored my lord. I know how hard the queen's death was for you and how close Balinor and yourself became. He would be proud to see how well you were doing a year after the incident. I only came to deliver that deed to you and to see my brother one last time before I return to my home village. If you'll excuse me my lord…" she let her voice trail off giving him a final look in the eye before turning to leave.

"Hunith wait!" Uther said with the tiniest hint of panic in his voice. He watched as she stopped halfway to the door and turned to face him again.

"What do you mean return to your home village? As his widow you are entitled to receive a pension to continue to live on his land."

Uther knew where she lived before she married Balinor; a village in Cenred's kingdom. And Cenred cared very little for anything outside his citadels walls. He could not, _would not,_ let Hunith return to that despicable man's kingdom. But what she said next he knew was right and would be near impossible to change, but not completely impossible.

"Sire, you know that is not possible. Had I been born into a noble family that would be a possibility. But I was born a peasant and can hold no claim to anything that was his. Now if you will excuse me sire I wish to see my brother before I leave."

Uther just nodded his approval as she curtsied one more time and left the throne room and stood there his mind still churning. _He could not let her go back to Ealdor. She did not deserve that. Just as Balinor helped him, Hunith had helped Ygraine through her pregnancy and even sat with the queen through her labor. No she would not be leaving this castle until he knew she would be taken well cared for. Then a thought hit him…why did he feel this way about Hunith? Yes, she was his best friend's wife but she was a peasant, but only by birth, a small voice in the back of his mind said. He had vowed that he would never love another the way he loved Ygraine. But whenever he saw Hunith a small flicker of something warm sparked to life in his chest. Could it…? No he shook his head, not possible…or was it?_

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><p>Please R&amp;R! I like writing about unusual pairings and AU's. Constructive criticism welcome!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately. Sorry for the short chapter, hope you like it anyway!**

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><p>Hunith went to see Gaius in his chambers and explained what had happened to Balinor that winter and all about her conversation with the king a short while ago. When she said that she was going to return to Ealdor Gaius immediately objected but knew that in the end Hunith was always right. He then proceeded to tell her what Uther would most likely do.<p>

"You do realize my dear sister that Uther will do all in his power to keep you here. He does not like Cenred and will definitely not like the idea of you returning to that kingdom."

"I know Gaius which is why I need you to help me leave tonight. I still have some of my old dresses but I will need some food and a few other provisions. I want to leave as soon as possible, it is very important that I do. The sooner I am out of Camelot, the better it will be for all of us."

"Very well" Gaius sighed "You go change and make sure you have everything packed and I'll go get you some food and a blanket. I still don't like this idea of you traveling alone. I couldn't bear losing the last of my family."

Hunith gave him a small smile and hugged him as she said "I know, but it is for the best and deep down I know you feel the same. I'll be safe, remember Balinor taught me how to fight and having an older brother didn't hurt either" giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

Then she left to change and continue packing. She had just sat down to wait for Gaius to return when he came back holding a bulging pack. He handed it to her with a small smile and pulled her into a hug. She soon pulled away and put on a dark thick cloak and pulled up the hood, hiding her face. With one last good bye she slipped out the door and into the dark, cold night her cloak allowing her to bled seamlessly with the shadows.

XxXxX

Uther had spent most of the night racking his mind trying to come up with a plan to keep her here; while he was also trying to figure out _why_ he wanted her to stay. He had got a few hours' sleep in the early hours of the morning but had been woken up by a servant hurriedly knocking on the door. When he opened it he saw a wide eyed servant telling him that Gaius wanted to see him in the nursery: Prince Arthur was ill. All other thoughts were pushed aside instantly and replaced with worry for his son. He quickly grabbed a jacket and set off at a run, ignoring the stares of everyone around him. When he finally arrived breathing heavily he saw Gaius standing behind the nurse who was sitting in a chair by the fire holding the prince in several blankets.

"What's wrong with him Gaius?" Uther asked in a breathy and worried voice as he walked over to the nurse.

"By the time I arrived he was shaking and was running a slight fever. I gave him a potion to help control the fever. It is most likely brought on by the cold weather Sire. It can get rather cold in here at times" Gaius said as he watched Uther dismiss the nurse and take her place in the chair holding his son.

"Will he recover?" Uther asked not taking his eyes off Arthur's face. He could feel him shaking through the blankets causing Uther to hold him closer to his chest.

"He will indeed my lord. He will need to be watched constantly for a day or so and have the medication administered regularly, but he will soon make a full recovery."

"Thank you Gaius, I will stay with him for now."

Gaius bowed and let a worried father care for his son. Uther sat there for hours rocking back and forth gently as Arthur's shaking stopped and he fell asleep. Uther sat there thinking about how he had never been so scared before in his life until that servant came and told him his son was sick. But Gaius's words soothed him like a balm which in turn helped calm the prince. Losing Ygraine was painful and still is, he had nearly gone mad with grief, but if he lost Arthur too he would go insane and no one would be able to help him.

Mid-morning came around and Uther was loathe to leave his son, but Gaius assured him he was on the way to making his recovery and would be well cared for today. As Uther walked back to his chambers to refresh himself a thought came to him; _where was Hunith_? Surely Gaius would have told her of Arthur's condition and she would have rushed to the princes' side just as he did. In fact he knew she would have been there. So why wasn't she? Maybe she was tired from her trip and sleeping in Gaius' quarters. Or she was visiting with some other nobles. But then Uther remember something she said to him yesterday,

"_I wish to see my brother before I leave"_

He shook his head, _No…she wouldn't have left already? Or in the middle of the night would she? _Uther knew that she was serious about returning to her home village and not taking claim to any of Balinor's property. So even though he wanted to deny it, he knew she left in the night and there was no way to catch up with her quickly. It was good in a way, he thought, that she was gone, it gave him time to try and figure out what the feeling was. He finally reached his chambers and went in to prepare himself for the day.

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><p><strong>Please review and let me know if you like it! As always constructive criticism is welcome! :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

__**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately... As it says this chapter takes place two years after the last chapter. Just so you know! :) Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>2 years later…<strong>_

Hunith was quietly sitting on a low stool just outside the door to the house she shared. She was mending some clothes that the villagers had brought her. It had been two years since Balinor's death, two years since she left for Ealdor, two years since she had moved in with her cousin. As she sat there mending the clothes her mind drifted back to the morning she arrived in Ealdor. _It was still rather cold in the mornings and she had been very tired. She had traveled nearly non-stop until she reached the border between Camelot and Cenred's kingdom. She took an hours rest but did not want to risk Uther catching up with her should he come after her._ She scoffed at her thought, why would Uther ever bother coming after her? She was a peasant again; she owned very little and worked very hard. The same way she did before Balinor stumbled into their village injured and she took him in until he recovered. And when he proposed to her in front of the village many of them scoffed saying it would never last. She never believed them till now… She knew that she cared for Uther more than a friend but she felt that if she ever tried to take that further, that she would be betraying her best friend Ygraine, and Hunith just did not have that in her heart. Besides she also didn't know how Uther looked at her other than his late best friend's peasant wife. One of the reasons she left Camelot so quickly was so she wouldn't be given or be able give that chance to someone else, to try and find out. Hunith was so caught up in her thoughts she almost missed the flash of red and gold in the distance until it finally registered in her mind: _Uther. _

_**XxXxX**_

It had taken him two years to realize what the feeling was and how to cope with it. He was berating himself for being so stupid. It wasn't until something Ygraine always said that made it click in his mind,

"_No one can deny the feelings of the heart. Not even you Uther. Promise that you never will, for they are one of the most important instincts and feelings one can have. Promise me you will always listen to your heart Uther."_

Once he remembered those words and then thought of the vow he made about not loving another, he realized right then that he had broken a promise to his late wife, and Uther Pendragon was not a man to break his word. Once this revelation washed over him he recognized that warm flickering feeling he always got when he ever saw her…

He _loved_ her.

King Uther Pendragon was in love with Hunith, a peasant and wife his late friend. But that didn't matter to him, he needed to have her by his side, needed the support just like Ygraine had given him. As soon as he realized this he immediately set out for Ealdor and could only hope that she returned his feelings; he had to try. He also knew it would take a lot of convincing for her to believe him, but he would do whatever it takes; he would make her his queen and giver her all the love and devotion he once gave Ygraine. Only then would his broken heart be mended.

As he and his knight's rode into the village he immediately spotted her sitting on a low stool sewing some clothes. He sent his knights to clear the village and have everyone go to their homes; he wanted to have a private word with Hunith without any eavesdroppers. He slowly made his way over to her and held up a hand to stop her from rising. He stood there looking at her features and memorizing them; she had not changed at all since she left but it had only been two years. But the lives of peasants are very hard and unforgiving which makes them look much older than they really are.

"My lord?"

"Is there somewhere we could talk…in private?"

Hunith nodded and stood and made her way over to the small shack they stored the bags of grain and seed for planting season. She opened that door and motioned for him to enter, following him once he did. It was large enough for them to have a comfortable distance between them, able to talk quietly.

"What was it you wish to speak to me about sire?"

"Please call me Uther. You know me, I'm your friend."

"That would hardly be appropriate for a peasant to be so personal with their king my lord."

"Then as your king I command that you to call me Uther."

Hunith dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"I did not like the idea of you returning to Cenred's kingdom once you left. I don't trust the man."

"It was the only home I had left. I had no choice but to come here and I am thankful that my cousin allowed me to live with her and her husband."

"I want you to come back with me to Camelot. I would feel safer if you were there and I also know that Arthur misses you, I can see it in his eyes. Please?"

"I can't do that Uther. It is not a good idea for all involved. You are a good king with a fair and just heart that has been hurt. You also have a reputation to hold up and maintain for both you and Arthur. And for you to return to Camelot with a peasant mistress…nothing good will come of it. I'm sorry Uther, I truly am but I must stay here" she said her eyes pleading, begging for him to understand.

But Uther was resolute. He came here to bring Hunith back to the safety of Camelot and to his side he would not stop now.

"I am the king. I can do whatever I wish on my whim. If I want to marry a noblewoman I will and the people will have to accept it. They don't have a choice. And if I wanted to marry a commoner I will and none can say a word against me or my queen for that matter. Please Hunith, return with me. I need you by my side, I…I love you. It has taken two years for me to realize this and I only wish that I acted sooner…please Hunith, I need you, Arthur needs you, and Camelot needs you. You will not be returning as a mistress of the king, but as his wife, his queen."

Hunith stared at him, contemplating all he just said. It had been a long two years trying to force her feelings down. He obviously felt the same towards her and that's when she realized that all along their feelings had been the same but neither knew if they should act on them.

"What of Ygraine? If I do this I will feel as if I was betraying my best friend. I could never do that, I don't have it in my heart to do so."

Uther gave her an understanding smile,

"At first I felt that way too but then I remembered something: she made me promise to always listen to the feelings of the heart. I'm sure that if she is watching us now she would approve. And now I ask you Hunith of Ealdor" Uther said moving down on one knee before her "would you do me the honor of becoming my queen?"

Hunith knew Uther spoke the truth about Ygraine; she could almost remember conversations they had had about that. And so with a large smile and watery eyes she answered,

"Yes"

Uther felt his heart soar to the sky above as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips with all the love, passion, and devotion he could. She returned the kiss with just as much emotion. As they leaned away from each other, his arm still around her waist holding her to him, he reached up with his other hand and gently trailed his fingers down her cheek while looking at her with the love she had seen him give Ygraine. It was right then that she knew he was serious and would treat her no differently than his late wife. She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his chest as he held her head with one hand the other still on her waist. They stood there for a few minutes before Uther spoke.

"When will you be ready to return my queen?" he asked with an amused smile on his face.

"I have one bag in the house that I need to get…" she trailed off as he shook his head.

"No, one of the knights will get it for you. You are their queen now they will serve you just as they serve me" he said gently, as his hand ran through her dark hair.

"Very well my love. But I do not have a horse, I walked here last time."

"No need you will be riding with me."

"Is that wise? It could start hurtful rumors, plus were not married yet."

"It matters not. We will be wed by the end of the week; so let them talk, there will be no rumors left come the day after our wedding" he said with a cheeky smile.

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><p><strong>As always please review! I want to know what you like or dont like! I'm always open for suggestions! Until next time...<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately... Thank you to those who have left reviews! They really do mean a lot. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Just as he promised they were married by the end of the week. The entire kingdom rejoiced in having a queen return to the side of their king. Many knew of Hunith as a noblewoman and a few knew her as a peasant; she was a kind and helpful soul but had the courage and strength of kings. They all knew Uther was a good king but his quick anger and rage were almost legendary. So when she became Uther's queen, they were hoping she would be able to temper his anger when it was quick to rise. As they began their reign together, the people all began to feel the tension that had been growing for the past three years since the death of the queen Ygraine, disperse. Even Arthur seemed to brighten up when his father told him he had a new mother. Arthur immediately took to Hunith being his mother since he didn't remember his birth mother. About a year later the kingdom was sent into great rejoicing once again from an announcement from the king.<p>

XxXxX

Uther remembered the day he heard the news like it was yesterday. It had been one of the happiest days of his life. He was on his way to see Gaius about a tonic, his old shoulder wound was acting up again. He was about to open the door when he heard voices talking on the other side; he leaned in closer to hear better but did so in a very kingly manner.

"…can't tell him Gaius. I don't think he would take the news too well seeing as there already is an apparent one." Uther heard Hunith say, her voice sad and slow.

"Hunith you know that is completely and utterly ridiculous. He loves you dearly and would do anything for you. But for you to keep this from him would not be right or even fair. You have to tell him."

_Tell who what_ Uther thought, his thoughts stopped as Hunith began again.

"You're right Gaius and it's not like I could hide it forever, he would find out eventually. I just hope that he is in his chambers when I tell him" Hunith said at the end.

Now Uther was really confused, what was she going on about? He was going to walk in and demand them to tell him what they were speaking of, when the door opened showing Hunith, her eyes watering. Uther looked down at her, concern clear on his face. He raised his hand to her cheek as she said,

"Uther will you meet me in your chambers shortly? There is something I need to tell you."

"Yes of course I'll be there as soon as Gaius gives me a tonic for my old shoulder wound."

She nodded her head and took her leave making her way to his chambers. Uther watched her, thinking, until she was gone from his sight. He turned back to Gaius who silently handed him small bottle with a disturbing shade of green liquid in it.

"Thank you Gaius. Do you have any idea what she wants to discuss with me?"

"It would be best if she told you first my lord."

Uther simply nodded and headed towards his chambers. When he finally arrived he pushed open the door to see Hunith standing by the window looking out over the kingdom as he did very often. He stood behind her and grabbed her arms gently in a comforting gesture. He asked,

"What did you want to discuss with me?"

Hunith sighed and turned to face him, a small smile on her face as she moved closer to him letting her head rest on his chest. He held her and waited till she was ready to tell him, he would not force her to say anything if she didn't want to.

"I went to Gaius this morning after I have woke up feeling a bit ill these past few weeks" she could feel Uther tense up as she spoke, she pulled away to look at him. His eyes were filled concern, and she could only hope he would be as happy about this as she was. She placed her hand on her stomach as she looked back up at him,

"He told me that feeling ill in the morning was a common symptom of the early stages of pregnancy" she said with small smile appeared on her face.

She watched as Uther stood there letting the words sink in, his eyes widened as they did and his hand instantly shot out and rested on top of hers as he looked down.

"You mean you're with child? How far along? And why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked his voice quiet and nearly breaking in spots.

"Yes I am. Gaius says I am about two months now and I didn't tell you for a couple reasons. One being that I wanted to make sure I was before told you in case something happened. The other being that I wasn't sure how you would react."

"You've been pregnant for two months and you never told me? I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you or the baby. I swear it. But why would you be worried about my reaction? It is my child and I already love them; what would you have to fear from me?"

He truly hoped his wife would not fear him, she had done nothing wrong. They hadn't _really_ talked about having children of their own and decided that they would just wait and see how things worked out.

"I was worried because you already have an heir from Ygraine, so I wondered what you would do with this child. Even though it is yours, if you claim them you would have just acknowledged another heir to Arthur's throne. I've heard stories of what some kings do when another heir is produced. I wouldn't want anything like that to happen to this little one or me" she said her voice shaking a bit as she placed her hand over her belly.

Uther stood there with a pained expression on his face. He too heard stories of fathers killing the secondary heirs so they would not be a threat to them or their favored heir. He held no respect for those kinds of men or kings; so for his wife to fear that…it made Uther physically sick. He pulled her into his arms and held her firmly before he spoke,

"I would never have taken another wife if I didn't want another child or heir. The men in those stories don't deserve to be called such. You are my queen and any children we have will be recognized. I would _never_ allow any harm come to you or the child, not while I have breath in my body. I love you too much to allow that to happen, Arthur loves you just as much too. He will love his new sibling when they arrive" he said gently.

Hunith smiled as she rested against him. She had worked herself up far too much to be healthy for her or the baby. She began to relax leaning more and more into him and soon he was supporting her more than her own feet. He noticed, and carefully picked her up laying her down on the bed covering her with the thick blankets as she quickly fell asleep. He placed a kiss on her forehead before setting himself down in a chair by the table keeping watch over her as she rested.

Uther let his thoughts take over as he sat there. _She was pregnant with his child. The thought made his whole body warm and he embraced it. He and Ygraine wanted more than one child but she was taken after their first; he vowed he would not let his Hunith be taken from him. He knew that he would not be able to stand so much heartache and pain if that happened. He wondered if the child would be a boy or a girl; he didn't care one way or the other, he just didn't want to wait nine months. The waiting was the worst part._ His thoughts continued this way long into the night. And was only brought out of them when Hunith woke and asked if he could send for food; he did and a light, cheerful conversation was carried on throughout the meal, both were eager to tell Arthur.

Arthur had gone over the top with excitement when Uther and Hunith told him he would have a little brother or sister soon. He kept going on about all that they would do; him and his brother. His parents raised an eyebrow at this; _a brother; _they told him that there was no way to know until the baby was born, but he was adamant. When asked why Arthur said,

"I had a dream and a gold dragon told me that soon my parents would come and tell me that our family would be getting bigger and I would have a baby brother to look after" Uther and Hunith just chalked it up to his imagination but neither missed the curious look they each sent to Hunith's belly.

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><p><strong>Please leave a review! More reviews may mean another chapter today!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately...Sorry for the short chapter but I hope you like it! I will have a question at the bottom of the chapter that ****I would love for all of you to answer. Anhwho, on with the chapter!**

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><p><em>The<em> day finally arrived Uther was beside himself with worry as he paced outside his wife's chambers. All he wanted right now was to have his wife stop screaming in pain so he could go and see her and their newborn. He had been pacing for what seemed like hours giving him ample time to think about parenthood. He shouldn't have been as scared as he was, he already had a 4 year old son but still he was worried. Would he be a good father to his new child? Would he be able to protect this child properly? Then another thought came to him, would he have a son or a daughter? He loved his son more than life itself and would gladly give up his own life for Arthur's and would do the same for his newborn child. He was brought out of his thoughts when the door opened revealing a very flushed looking midwife. She didn't say a word as he shoved past her rushing to his wife's side. Hunith was covered in sweat and her hair was plastered to her face and she looked very tired. He kissed her forehead gently as his gaze fell to the wriggling bundle in her arms.

"Here, meet your son" she said holding him out to his father.

Uther's eyes went wide as he took his son into his shaking hands. He was still fearful he would hurt his son even with all the practice he had with Arthur. Hunith seemed to sense this and gave a short tired chuckle,

"Really Uther? You're not going to hurt him. He won't break. Besides you had practice with Arthur."

He held his son closer and felt the tiny baby settle deeper into his arms and Uther seemed to relax a bit.

"What are you going to name him?" Hunith whispered her eyes barely half open.

He knew she must be exhausted bringing a new life into the world was no easy task. It was tradition for the father to name his children, and announce their birth. He needed time to think and Hunith needed to rest.

"You need rest my love. You just brought a Pendragon into the world, which must have been very tiring" he said with a small smile which she returned "and when you wake I will have a name for him."

She just nodded and laid her head down and was asleep in an instant. He smiled at her before giving her one last kiss as he left the room with his son. Just outside the door he heard someone say,

"Told ya"

He looked down to see Arthur staring at his new sibling. Uther smiled and knelt down to his eldest son's height. Arthur stared at his brother's face intently, memorizing every detail.

"What's his name?"

"I haven't decided on his name yet"

"I have a name for him" Uther raised a questioning eyebrow and Arthur continued,

"His name could be Merlin. Just like the bird that I saw earlier today. It attacked and killed another bird bigger than it. It was really strong, just like he will be."

Uther nodded his head as he looked down his newest son,

"Merlin…Prince Merlin Pendragon" he said trying out the name,

"Yes that is a good name for him, good job Arthur."

"Can I hold him now?"

"If you go sit on the bench over there"

Arthur ran to the bench and pulled himself up on it and held out his arms expectantly. Uther carefully lowered Merlin into his brother's arms and watched as Arthur's whole face lit up with a huge smile.

"Hello Merlin, I'm your big brother Arthur" he said with his huge grin still on his face. "When you get bigger we are going to do everything together, and we'll be there to keep each other safe. It's what brothers do."

Merlin just yawned and closed his eyes as he settled down into his brother's arms.

"I think he's tired. Can I carry him to the nursery? Please father" Arthur said as innocently as he could.

"Not tonight, but you can come with me to put him in bed."

"Ok" Arthur said as he pushed himself off the bench.

Arthur followed alongside his father and brother as they walked to the nursery. He was very excited to have a sibling, especially a brother, since now he can have a sparring partner someday, and they could be knights together. Arthur continued to daydream about all the things he and Merlin would do when they got older, his smile still had not faded as he crawled into his bed for the night.

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><p><strong>My question is this: Should Merlin have magic? Since neither of his parents are I cant decide. I have another chunk of the story done if he does. That part will also introduce another character who will not be canon, but not OC. Anyway, let me know either in a review or feel free to PM me. :)<br>**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately... Ok, so this is an intro chapter for another character. And thanks for those who reviewd he last chapter! Merlin will have magic in this story! Hope you enjoy this chapter, its my longest one yet. To make up for the other short ones. :) Enjoy!**

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><p>It was the perfect day. The sun was shining in a bright blue sky with large white clouds. A slight breeze kept the temperature comfortable. He had no council meetings or appointments, his wife walked with him on a well worn path in the forest, and his 11 year old son, Arthur and a 7 year old Merlin between them, all holding hands. No guards were present, but he was still armed-when was he not? The royal family of Camelot was out of the castle today in the fresh air with no one but each other for company. Uther stopped in the middle of the path and took a deep breath, relaxing his tense muscles and clearing his mind. It was indeed a perfect day.<p>

"Are you ok father?" Merlin asked.

"Yes I am son. I was just taking a moment to enjoy today" the king said looking down at his sons who were grinning back up at him.

Uther became a bit worried at that smile because it usually meant he was planning something. Then Hunith leaned down and whispered something in their ears, and the grins got even wider and cheekier. She stood up again trying to hold back a laugh as she gave Uther a knowing look. He knew Arthur and Merlin were up to something and opened his mouth to say as much, but was instead hit from behind. The force behind the attack sent him to the ground and he landed with a grunt. He looked behind him and saw Arthur and Merlin getting up and running over to him again. The princes launched themselves at their father with all they had. Uther had managed to get to his knees before his sons came at him from the side sending him to the forest floor again. He could hear Hunith's hysterical laughter, and Uther could just imagine what they must have looked like. A king was lying on the ground being tackled by the princes, all three of them getting covered in dirt.

Uther saw his sons coming at him again and braced himself. As Arthur leapt at him again, his father caught him by the waist and forced him to the ground. He let out a surprised cry and was struggling to get away. Merlin had saw Arthur get caught so he decided to try and attack his father by staying in his blind spot. As quietly as he could, he sneaked up on Uther who was focused on Arthur. However, Merlin didn't see the twigs on the ground. _Snap!_ Uther's head snapped to the side and he saw Merlin with a guilty smile trying to get into his blind spot still. He laughed as he reached over and grabbed Merlin by the back of his shirt and pulled him next to his brother. He switched his grip so now both princes had their arms pinned to their sides and were lying on their backs. They both wiggled one of their arms free and started to try and push their father's arm off their waist. Once Arthur and Merlin got an arm free they began to twist and turn from side to side, grunting. Hunith was still laughing watching the boys; they were then joined by Arthur's laughter as Uther had begun to tickle him. But they all stopped laughing as a blood curdling scream tore through the forest.

Immediately, Uther grabbed Merlin picking him up, while Arthur got up and followed his father closely. He put Merlin down next to his brother and mother, and drew his sword, stepping forward. His wife and sons moved over to a tree ready to hide behind it if necessary. They then heard running footsteps that seemed to be coming from the left of them. A woman then came running into Uther's sight and they both froze when they saw each other.

The woman's side was red and she was clutching it with a hand as blood seeped through her fingers. Her skin was extremely pale, probably from the blood loss Uther thought, and her face had a large purple bruise on it. Her arms were covered in small scratches and bruises too. But what really caught Uther attention was the little girl holding the woman's other hand. She looked a bit younger than Merlin by a year maybe. The girl had long, dark hair and bright green eyes. She was holding her arm to her chest and her face was twisted with pain but she remained silent. The girl's wrist was red and swollen.

The woman knew it would not be long till the men caught up with them and she knew her wounds were fatal. She could not let her daughter go back no matter what. She was hoping to come across a village where she could leave her daughter in safety, but her time was running out, as was her blood. The only chance she had now to save her girl was to beg the person in front of her, but this was the king! He would not take in some peasant child surely…but she had to try. They both snapped out of their thoughts as they heard yelling and curses coming from the direction she just ran from. She made her decision.

"Sire! Please I beg you take my daughter somewhere safe. I don't have the strength, my wounds are too grievous. I know I am nothing but a peasant but please just get her out of here and anywhere safe. I beg you my lord!"

Without a second thought Uther reached forward to take the girl. The mother sighed in relief and told her daughter to go with the king. The girl glanced at her mother but obeyed and took the kings hand. Uther picked her up and made to leave, but turned back to the woman. He could hear the men's voices getting closer.

"Come with me back to Camelot to see the court physician"

The woman just shook her head, "I cannot my lord. I have not the strength and the slave traders will be here shortly to finish me off. Please leave me and take my daughter to safety, your majesty" she said gasping for breath between her words.

"Slave traders did this to you? Where is your husband? Why can you not leave the girl with her father?" Uther asked.

The woman looked to him and said "He is the one who gave me this bruise" pointing to her face "and broke his daughter's wrist. When he tried to sell her to the slave traders I refused to let him, and we ran. Please my lord, go I can hear them getting closer" she cried.

Uther nodded and ran back to where his family was. None of them said a word as they untied their horses and rode for Camelot. Before they reached the border of the forest, they heard a scream that was cut off abruptly. Uther shuddered, and then heard a faint whimpering. He glanced down at the little girl he was holding to his chest and saw she was crying. Instinctively he pulled her closer as his grip tightened a bit. The girl immediately responded by burring her face into Uther's chest and curling up as much as she could. Uther glanced over at Hunith and saw Merlin and Arthur next to her on their horses. Hunith was looking at the girl with sympathy and motherly compassion. Arthur and Merlin too were looking at the girl their father was holding with sad expressions on their faces.

"Uther what happened?"

Hunith whispered so as not to wake the girl. Arthur and Merlin were in the middle of their own conversation, probably about the girl. She had heard her husband talking but could not make out what either of them was saying.

"The child's mother begged me to take her daughter somewhere safe. She said her husband had tried to sell her to some slave traders. When she refused he hit across the face and broke the child's wrist. They then ran but the slave traders chased them and wounded the mother fatally. That was her scream that was…" his voice trailed off as he tried to shake the memory from his mind.

Hunith gasped as tears began to flow down her face. She felt horrible for the little girl, and disgusted that a father would do that to their own child. She wanted to help the girl, and she knew Uther did too. She wanted to bring the girl into her own family. She always wanted another daughter, and she knew Uther did too. But Hunith wasn't sure if he would adopt a peasant girl; she didn't care about that she only wanted to help the poor child. They slowed the horses to a walk as they continued to talk.

"What do you plan to do with her Uther? I don't know of any families in Camelot who would take in a child. Do you?" she asked hoping he would understand her meaning.

Fortunately he did.

"I do know of one that would adopt her into their family. I know she would be loved as one of their own since they always wanted to have one more child, especially a daughter."

Uther said glancing at her with the slightest of smiles pulling at the corners of his mouth. Hunith raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Ours Hunith. We both wanted a daughter, why not her?" he said.

He couldn't explain it but he felt this pull in his heart as he looked down at the girl who was still sleeping in his arms. He glanced over at his wife who smiling.

"Oh Uther I'm so glad you said that. She will be loved by all, and now Arthur and Merlin can focus their seemingly unending energy on protecting their new sister. You know how serious they will take her safety upon themselves don't you?" she teased. He nodded while grinning.

"Where are you taking me? Where's my mother?" a small voice asked.

Uther looked down to see the girl staring up at him. Not wanting her husband to answer the second question, Hunith asked a question instead.

"What is your name sweetheart?"

"Mor-Morgana" she shakily answered "Where are you taking me?" she asked again.

"Somewhere safe. Rest for a while, we will talk once we stop" Uther said as gently as he could. The girl nodded her head and turned her head to listen to Uther's heartbeat. The sound seemed to have a soothing effect, because Morgana was soon asleep.

They made it back to Camelot in another hour. As the royal family passed through the gates the people stopped and stared, whispering. No doubt about the little girl the king was holding. They made it to the courtyard, as the stable boys ran over and took the reins. Morgana was waking up now and looking around at her surroundings. Uther handed her to a guard so he could dismount. Arthur and Merlin followed their mother into the palace with a quick glance back at the girl. Uther looked down at Morgana and held out his hand, she looked at it then slowly slid her hand into the king's grip. They then walked into the palace. Little did she know how much her life would change in the next few days, but none of them could have guessed that the events of that day would come back to haunt them in the near future.

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><p><strong>As always please review! I want to know what you think about this story so far and hear any suggestions you might have! <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

__**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately... Sorry but its another time jump chapter, but it's still good I think. Anyway, hope you like it!**

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><p><em><strong>11 years later… <strong>_

"My lords, your father has summoned you to the throne room immediately. He says it is urgent." The guards bows and turns to leave.

The brothers had been on the training field all morning, running through exercise's with their respective knights. The princes were natural born warriors. Their skills were known and respected throughout the kingdom. But Merlin had one extra ability: he was also a natural born warlock. No one was quite sure where his magic came from since neither of his parents had it, so they just called it the hand of fate. He was able to practice magic with ease from a young age and was quite good at it.

The princes gave each other a look, sheathed their swords, and headed to the throne room to meet with their father. When they reached the doors, the guards opened them. They walked side by side as they reached their father and mother who sat on their thrones, and their younger sister Morgana beside their mother. They bowed their heads and greeted,

"Father, Mother".

The king and queen smiled and looked at their sons for a second before Uther spoke,

"Arthur, Merlin you're here! Good! We have received some rather disturbing reports regarding the eastern borders. Some villagers have reported that slave traders are raiding the surrounding villages and destroying crops and homes"

Uther paused as he watched his sons tense up and look over at their sister. Morgana knew the story of her past and what the slave traders did to her and her birth mother; she had never forgiven them for that and Uther knows that her brothers would not spare their lives if given the choice. They all truly hated them. Hunith too was watching her daughter and knew how hard it must be for her to hear this report, the memories it could stir up. She locked eyes with Morgana and took her hand with a small smile, which was returned.

Arthur and Merlin felt their blood begin to boil at the news; they could remember the nightmares their sister had for the first year or so. They would stay up with her and promise to chase the monsters away. In short, when it came to slave traders the Pendragon brothers would show them no mercy.

Morgana knew that her biological father had tried to sell her and killed her birth mother. She hated him with every fiber of her being, would never forgive him for that. So she was excited to hear what else her father had to say about these slavers.

Uther knew they were looking for his daughter. He also knew what Merlin and Arthur would do if they ran into the man that hurt their sister, so he would have to give very specific orders to his sons before they set off to arrest the slavers. Uther sighed before he spoke again.

"These slavers have been questioning people about a girl who ran away with her mother 11 years ago. I believe these are the ones who are being led by the man who killed Morgana's birth mother" Uther said.

"Are we to ride out immediately and arrest them? Or kill them on sight?" Arthur asked hoping for the second option. He was trying very hard to control his rage.

"You will ride out immediately and are to bring back their leader and a few of his men. There will be an example made of them, so those that you bring back are not to be harmed in anyway. Do I make myself clear? They will be properly dealt with when you return" Uther said in a low voice to make sure his point got across.

"Yes Sire" they said with a straight face.

Hunith then got up and came to them. She gave them each a hug and said,

"I want both of you to return home safely. I couldn't bare anything happening any you. Nor could your father."

"We will be safe and return by the end of the week with our quarry. We won't fail. We'll be safe. I promise" Merlin said as he smiled to his mother, father and sister. With a nod, Uther dismissed the princes so that they could prepare for their journey. Morgana left with her brothers to help them pack, leaving the king and queen alone.

"Do you think it wise to send Merlin and Arthur to arrest these traders? You know how they feel about them" Hunith sighed as she watched her children walk out the throne room.

"I do. But they need to learn how to control their emotions in every situation, even personal ones. I know you're worried, as am I, but these are just simple slavers. Nothing they can't handle together" Uther said assuring his wife.

"But what if the slavers have magic that is stronger than Merlin's? He is just a young boy after all. I know they are extremely skilled with the sword, but against magic swords are helpless. I can't lose either of them…I can't…" her voice trailed off as Uther pulled her into his arms, whispering softly to her.

"I know, I thought of that too. I would have ordered the Court Sorcerer to go with them, but they would have refused since this is a rather personal issue. They would want to do it on their own. I too know that I couldn't bear loosing either of them, but we need to trust their judgment. They will return home safely, try not to worry" he said as she nodded her head that was resting on his chest.

He could feel some of her tension leave, but not all of it. To be honest, he was just as worried if not more. He loved his sons more than anything, and he feared not seeing them again. But as he said to his wife, they would not accept another's help on this matter unless it was life or death. He felt his wife pull away from him a bit and looked down at her. Her azure blue eyes, same color as Arthur's and Merlin's, were wet and red rimmed,

"They will return soon, safe and sound. I know they will."

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><p>Arthur and Merlin had just finished their packing as they met up and walked to the stables, Morgana would see them out of the city. She had made them promise to come home safely. They promised her the same, as with their parents. The princes were each flanked by three knights, the minimum number of guard their father allowed. They laughed when they saw how many guards the other had.<p>

"I would have preferred not to take any with us, but I know father would not hear it. Nor mother for that matter" Merlin said as he approached his brother who laughed.

"I agree, but we should be thankful that father did not send the court sorcerer with us. I just hope we won't need magic to defend ourselves from these traders. Don't look at me like that—you know swords are useless against magic. Merlin, it may be easy for you but your still learning." He said giving his brother a pointed look that would allow no argument.

Merlin knew he was right and tried to rein his emotions under control. Neither brother wanted to bring back any prisoners. If they had their way every single corpse would be left to rot where if fell. But they would not disobey their father, yet that didn't mean they couldn't take their anger out on the rest of the slavers. They reached the stables and saw that their favorite horses were saddled and ready to go. They mounted quickly and rode past the gates of Camelot followed by their six knights.

Arthur, Merlin and the knights all rode for hours, only pausing to rest and water the horses, and stopped to make camp an hour after the sun had already set. Nothing out of the ordinary happened that night. They all ate dinner around the fire as they sat and discussed their plan for dealing with the slavers. They would reach the village they were last reported to be in a couple hours after midday tomorrow. At first light they broke camp and set off again.

Arthur was starting to get concerned for his brother. He had not said much since they left and he had become rather solemn. He was not like this normally; he was always smiling and laughing, always starting the sibling banter between them. He was always happy it seemed. But now the light in his eyes was dull and his face expressionless; Arthur knew what he was thinking, he was thinking the same, but he wanted to make sure there was nothing else bothering him

"Mer you ok? This is stressful for all of us right now."

He used his nickname in hopes that it would at least lighten the mood and make him smile. His plan worked. Merlin gave a small laugh as he looked at him

"I'm fine _Artie_. I just want this to be over with quickly. I just want to know why it's necessary to bring them back to Camelot" he said using his nickname in return causing them both to laugh.

"We'll be back in Camelot before you know it" Arthur replied, and motioned for everyone to continue the short distance to the nearest village.

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><p><strong>As always please leave a review or feel free to PM me! :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately... There are slight refrences to "The Moment of Truth" episode and some language. Just a warning. Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>They continued riding and finally reached the small village. The people who were out gasped as they saw their princes with six knights, all wearing the Pendragon red cloak with a gold dragon emblazoned on it. The nobles rode into the center of the village and were immediately surrounded by all the villagers.<p>

"I am Prince Arthur of Camelot and this is my brother Prince Merlin of Camelot. We are here to help you. We need information about the slavers who came here a fortnight ago. Does anyone have information?"

A middle aged man with brown scraggly hair stepped forward. He was followed by a similar aged woman, maybe a year or two younger than her husband.

"I am Beldon, elder of this village and this is my wife, Trista." They both bowed to the young royals.

"The slavers were here as you said a fortnight ago. They took mostly women, young girls and a few men. But their leader questioned each of us personally, to see if we knew where his daughter was. None of knew right away, but once he gave the description of the girl someone spoke up. The man who spoke up was the village trouble maker and no one listened to him. But the leader believed him and rewarded he man. The slavers trader then came up with a plan. He told us to make a report and send it to Camelot and that should we receive an answer we were to contact him immediately."

The royals and knights tensed at this and the villagers all noticed. Beldon was quick to respond.

"Please your majesties, we have not led you into a trap. We have not sent word to their leader yet. We were hoping that once you arrived that we could make a plan to rid our village of this man for good. Please I'm telling you the truth. We don't intend to harm you."

As he finished every person around them dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in complete subservience, hoping that their princes were as honorable as the stories said. The stories were right as Prince Merlin spoke next.

"We believe that you have no intention in betraying us. Rise."

All the villagers did, and he continued,

"We have come here under orders of the king to arrest these slavers and return to Camelot with some of them. We also have a plan to help you rid yourselves of his kind. How long would it take for you send word to him?"

"If we sent it now our messenger could deliver it to his hide out within a few hours. He would then come immediately."

"Very well. Send word that his daughter has been seen near this village."

"Of course, my lord. We will send word out immediately. Thank you."

With that Beldon bowed and left the group to prepare the villages defenses. Soon there were makeshift wood barriers between the houses and shallow trenches filled with oil and tar. They had also spent the next day training the villagers through the basics of swordsmanship. The messenger had returned to say that the slavers would give them one last day to enjoy before they came and killed everyone for lying. Once the grueling day was finally over, and the people began to retire for the night the young royals stayed up for a while longer talking. Arthur had his doubts about the plan being successful. He didn't want to see innocent men and women dying. But Merlin had told him to have faith in them for if they saw he didn't believe in them they would surely fail.

The morning came all too fast as the royals stood in the center of a house helping each other with their armor. A villager ran in to the house,

"The slavers have crossed the river" he announced.

At this they all left the home, to take up their positions and wait for the battle to begin.

They did not have to wait long, as a line of charging and yelling men burst through the tree line and rode furiously into the village. The villagers held their positions until they got the signal. And when Prince Arthur gave it, all hell broke loose. The people charged from their hiding spots and took the slavers by surprise killed many on them before they knew what hit them. Merlin stood off the side as he watched the fight much to his disdain. His brother had argued that while he was a good swordsman, he would need his undivided attention to find and properly capture the attacking sorcerers. So he used his magic to search them out and when he found one he brought the full force of his power down on their mind and bound their powers, then put a sleeping spell on them. He did this to 4of the 5 sorcerers; one was killed before he could bind them. Once their leader saw his last man fall and his sorcerers gone, he immediately surrendered.

As he was kneeling in the middle of the village he watched as a blonde young man and a raven haired man were quietly talking with each other. He figured these must be the nobles who organized the people of this place. He noticed how finely they were dressed and wondered if they could even be royalty. He was about to call him out when they came over to him. The looks on their faces were obvious. They looked down at the kneeling man with utter disdain and hatred; the feeling was mutual. He was brought out of his thoughts as the blonde man began talking:

"Who are you? And why are you searching for our sister?" Arthur said deceptively calm as his rage bubbled beneath his skin. He wanted nothing more than to take this man's head off his shoulders.

"My name is Gareth. And I am searching for the girl because she is my daughter and not your sister. I am her father and would see her returned to my…_care_" he sneered.

Merlin stayed silent and trying to control his shaking rage. He wanted to kill this man right now and not drag this pathetic excuse of a man back to Camelot. He especially didn't want Morgana to have to see him, it would only open up old wounds and make her nightmares return. But his father had given direct orders and he would follow them.

"You are a terribly misinformed fool. She _is_ our sister and you will give her the respect she deserves. And as for her father, you may be her biological sire but not her father" Arthur said mirroring his words.

"Respect? What respect does she deserve for being the one who cost me my knighthood? The little whore was lucky I took care of her and her mother. She got more than she deserved, which is nothing."

By now Arthur and Merlin were fuming, and they were finding it difficult to control their rage. Merlin had his jaw clenched tight as he attempted to choke the hilt of his sword to death. Arthur was losing his patience with this man, and had just nearly killed him when he called his sister a whore. It took all his will power to remain still. They looked at each other having a silent conversation, and then nodded. Wanting to get back to Camelot as soon as possible so he could let their father deal with this trash; he looked to Merlin and nodded which prompted Merlin to bind Gareth with chains, but let him stay awake. They gathered up the sorcerers who were awake but gagged, Gareth was gagged then too, and mounted their horses forcing the prisoners to walk behind them. The knights each had a sorcerer while Merlin held on to Gareth's chain, jerking him forward every now and then. Their pace was a bit slower that before but it was still quick. They stopped only for a few hours to rest the horses. They continued to travel through the night guided by a light Merlin made to light their path. They would reach Camelot two days later than expected, but they would be home soon.

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><p><strong>As always please leave me a review! I want to know what you think about it so far!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately... Ok this chapter has some violence, language and a tiny bit of a revenge driven Merlin using his magic. This is just a warning. I will have a question at the end, but read and enjoy this first!**

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><p>They were supposed to be back two days ago! They made a promise to him; they would never willingly break a promise made to him or their mother. Something must have happened; he was worried, but Hunith... She had to be given a rather powerful sleeping draft to get her to calm down. She was currently in her chambers sleeping. Uther sighed as he turned away from the window he was standing by looking out over the courtyard. He needed to know where his sons were and what was keeping them. He went over and sat in his throne, hand rubbing his brow. In a very Pendragon fashion he allowed his worry to transform into anger and slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne.<p>

Uther continued to brood over his anger and worry, missing the commotion in the courtyard below and would have ignored the servant who entered the room had it not been for the large doors creaking as they opened. He turned his attention to the servant, "What is it?" he snapped.

"Your sons have returned with their captives, my lord. They are on their way here now" he bowed and scurried away at Uthers dismissal.

Finally! Arthur and Merlin have returned home and were successful based on the servants' announcement. He prepared himself to receive them and the captives and said they were to enter the second they arrived. He didn't have to wait long, and as the doors were opened he was taken back momentarily by the sight that greeted him. His sons looked exhausted, their eyes seemed half closed, their faces covered in grime and their hair was disheveled. Their armor was dull and caked in mud, blood, sweat and everything else imaginable. They had a few small cuts and bruises on their faces but nothing to serious it appeared. Behind them were six knights looking the same, tired and dirty. Four of the knights each held a man bound in ropes while Arthur and Merlin held a man between them bound in chains each holding a lead.

As they looked at the man, their exhaustion was replaced with rage and burning eyes. The king knew then that this man must be his daughters' biological sire.

Before any of them could begin to speak the doors flew open again as Hunith and ran in and went straight to the front of the room where her sons were; Morgana right behind her. She threw her arms around their necks; ignoring the filth they were covered in. She noticed the chains they were holding in their hands and asked,

"Who are you? Are you the leader of those slave traders my sons went after?"

"It is indeed mother. He has also admitted that he is Morgana's biological sire" Merlin said. Morgana shivered at the thought, and began to feel her hate for the man slowly begin to rise.

As Hunith set herself on her throne, Uther stood and took a step toward them. Immediately his sons pulled hard on the chains forcing the man down,

"On your knees" they both hissed.

Uther smirked, then schooled his features into his kingly mask. Hunith flinched at the harshness her children were showing this man. She didn't like to see them so cold, but she knew how hard they must be trying to control themselves before herself and their father. She knew they wanted to kill him.

"His name is Gareth, father." Merlin answered his voice tight with rage.

"You should be thanking me. If it were not for my orders you would not be here. Your mangy carcass would be rotting out in a field somewhere. They would have killed you on sight and have been done with you. You are not worth our time and will be executed shortly. But first I'm sure you would like to know why I ordered you here am I right?"

Gareth remained silent, not even looking up at the king. This proved too much as Arthur jerked Gareth's head back by his hair.

"Answer your king, wretch!" Arthur growled.

"Yes" he gritted out between clenched teeth.

"I want to know why you are searching for my daughter while terrorizing the outlying villages" once again he kept his voice calm but sharp and cold. But Gareth refused to answer.

"Father may we kill him now? He won't answer, but he already told Arthur and myself why back in the village. I can tell you the reason why once his head is rolling away from his body" Merlin's said his voice shaking as he continued to try and control his rage.

"It's true father. He did tell us and he did attack two royals so his sentence should be doubled" Arthur added darkly in an also shaking voice.

"Well Gareth it seems we have ourselves in a little predicament. I have half a mind to hand you over to my sons now and let them do what they will. But I want to hear it from you as to why you are looking for Princess Morgana. Speak quickly, I won't be able to hold them back for much longer" Uther said.

Gareth allowed his nerves to show since he first arrived in the throne room. His face went pale,

"But you're the king you can order them to stay their blades" he whimpered.

Uther grinned as sat back in his throne,

"I already ordered them not to harm you on the way back here, and it took all they had to obey that order as you have noticed. They are after your blood; there is nothing I can do to stop them from getting it. You threatened their sister, now you must deal with the consequences of that threat."

Arthur and Merlin growled in agreement tightening the chains, Uther continued,

"Seeing as they will kill you, I advise you to tell me why you were searching for Morgana."

Gareth looked up at Morgana who was just staring at him with an expressionless mask, but her knuckles were white from clenching her fists so tight. He smirked at her before he began to speak.

"As I told your sons back in the village, I am her father and I was looking for her so she could repay me the life she and her mother cost me. I was a knight of Mercia, but my daughter and her mother began to spread lies that I was breaking the knights' code in some of the things I did. When my lord heard the lies he stripped me of my knighthood and all my land and wealth. I became a slave trader so I could find her and sell her off for a bit of profit and make her suffer as I have had to since that time. But she and her mother ran away before I could do anything to get them back. Somehow she ended up adopted into your family, why a powerful king like yourself would adopt the pathetic whore is-"

He never finished his sentence as Uther's fist connected with his face, sending him to the ground.

He was pulled up to face the king,

"You will not speak of _MY_ daughter in such a way! You have no right! Your king was right in taking your knighthood from you, a wretch such as yourself deserves no such honor, nor do they deserve their life. Your sentence is to be determined by the Princes of Camelot! And I know my sons well, they will show you nothing but pain and suffering. Guards get this filth out of my throne room and put him in the old dungeons, and bind him as well!" Uther roared.

Arthur and Merlin reluctantly released the man to the guards, but obeyed their father. They knew the man would be very uncomfortable in the old dungeons. They were the ones whose shackles were rusted; it was very cold and very wet. They were the cells that right next to the torture chamber. Uther did not condone the use of torture and had those cells banned from being used. He only used the cells after he first conquered Camelot and used them to hold his greatest enemies. It appeared however, that there still some reasons for him to use them however.

Merlin then turned and motioned for the knights to step forward with the sorcerers and began to explain,

"These are four of the five sorcerers that Gareth had with his men. They used their magic to kill others for sport, and bind other magic users they found. The fifth one was killed in the attack Gareth led against the village."

Hunith gasped as her hands flew to her mouth. She knew it took powerful magic to bind these others' power and to keep it bound. She didn't know her son was that powerful, but it made her chest swell with pride. Uther knew too that this was an incredible feat. He looked at Merlin before saying,

"Your powers are even greater than we thought my son. Well done!"

Merlin smiled and nodded his head as their father continued,

"You are to be commended. But you are sure that none of you were hit a spell of any sort? How did you manage this?"

"We were not father. I placed several protection charms on Arthur before he went into battle. We were not hit by any spells or anything that was enchanted" Merlin said deliberately leaving out the fact he had not protected himself. He hoped they would all look over that; no such luck.

"What of yourself my son?" Hunith asked in a shaky voice from her throne.

Merlin looked down at the ground and shook his head as his family all let out gasps.

"What? Merlin how could you not protect yourself? You could have been injured or worse!" Uther shouted with worry tinting his voice.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't let Arthur be harmed and so by not protecting myself I could divert more of my power to him. Besides I didn't do much fighting, I was more focused on finding the sorcerers before they caused more harm. Arthur is the true heir to the throne making his life worth much more than mine could ever be" said Merlin in a quiet voice. He _hated_ speaking like that but it was the truth.

"Merlin! Don't you ever say that again! You have just as much claim to the throne as your brother does. You are our son"

Hunith said as she ran to Merlin and pulled him into a fierce hug trying to reassure her son of the truth she just spoke.

Uther stepped forward and placed his hand on his son's shoulder,

"Merlin as your mother said I never want to hear you say your life is worth less than your brothers. That will never be true."

Merlin nodded with a small smile as Uther turned his attention to the three sorcerers, and the tension in the room began to build.

"What do you pathetic lot have to say for yourselves? Is what my son said true? You killed people for sport?"

Uther asked, but none of them said a word or looked at him. At this blatant show of disrespect, the young royals jumped into action yet again. They grabbed the ropes from the knights in one hand and crossed them between each other.

"It would appear to me brother, these poor fools need a lesson on knee walking before their king? What say you?" Arthur asked with a smirk on his face.

Merlin gave a smirk back and answered,

"I agree with you brother. They seem to have no respect for their superiors."

With that they gave a hard pull, and a little help from Merlin's magic, on the ropes that were bound around the sorcerer's wrists and waists, sending them crashing to the ground with bone rattling force. They then took a step or two back to tighten the ropes. Hunith flinched as soon as the four men hit the ground; she was slightly worried at how content her children seemed to be while doing this. Uther on the other hand, couldn't be more proud. He knew that together his sons were an unstoppable team; it would make for a strong Camelot in the future.

Uther just shook his head as he began to speak.

"You must not have learned anything from Gareth's trial. But it would seem my sons have reminded you properly."

They still said nothing as the ropes pulled tighter and Uther gave a glance to Merlin who nodded and stepped forward to stand before the men.

Under normal circumstances Merlin would not have agreed so quickly, he is not the violent type. But there was one major factor that influenced his decision today. That factor being the fact that these men are responsible for killing his sister's mother and hurting her. So a small part of him was seeking revenge. He used his magic to find their leader; once he found him he said,

"This one is their leader. I need him to be free so I can interrogate him properly."

Arthur released the man's rope which Merlin grabbed with his magic and pulled him away from the group to kneel before his mother and father.

"Is it wise to leave him unrestrained like that?" Uther asked, slightly worried.

"It's fine father. I still hold control over his powers, in fact I complete control over his body."

To demonstrate his point he severed the ropes which fell to the floor, as the man ripped the gag out of his mouth, and started coughing a bit.

The man's head snapped up as he glared at Merlin,

"What power can a mere peasant prince like you possibly have?" he spat.

With that he pulled a hidden dagger from his robes and charged Merlin. Everyone tensed as the man ran forward, dagger glinting in the light. But Merlin didn't move a muscle, instead his eyes flashed gold as the man froze mid stride arm still raised. His voice still worked however.

"How did you…that's not possible. You didn't say an incantation" he cried his voice shaking.

Then he started to move again, but in slow motion. He now stood straight, feet together and watched to his utter horror as his hand holding the dagger moved of its own accord towards his throat. His eyes bulged as he stared at Merlin.

"What are you doing boy?" he cried as he started shaking.

"Showing you a small part of the power I couldn't possibly possess as a mere peasant prince. Now you will answer my father. Why did you slaughter innocence? What do you have to say for yourself" Merlin snarled, but started to bring his anger back under control.

The man's face was turning a deep shade of crimson as he tried to resist Merlin's power. The vein on his temple began to throb with the rapid beat of his heart.

"Still no answer. You are being incredibly rude to the royalty before you. If you still refuse to talk I will take more extreme measures."

"What have we ever done to you? Why would you turn against your own kind?"

"You murdered my sisters' mother, destroyed her home, killed her friends all while you were and your friends were laughing. Magic is not meant to be corrupted the way you for have. It is a force for good. Besides you are in no position to be asking questions. So answer your king. Why?"

"We had no choice. Gareth forced us, he threatened to take our families and sell them."

"That is a lie. I can see the truth in your mind. None of you have families; you joined him of your own accord, to satisfy your sick need to see other suffer at your hands."

With another flash of gold the man's face went completely blank. Merlin then turned to Uther.

"Father, I believe you will now find that this sorcerer will answer every question you ask him. He also won't be able to lie, he will be telling the truth. However, I must warn you that you may not like what he has to say based off what I can see of his memories. I don't like them myself."

"Thank you, Merlin."

Uther said with a small grin sent in Merlin's direction. He then turned to face the man before him. He studied him a moment before he began.

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><p><strong>OK. So my question is: Do ou want the next chapter to be in Morgana's pov? I was planning on it, but I want to know what you as readers want. Let me know with a review or a PM! Until next time! :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I DO NOT own Merlin...unfortunately...Sorry this took so long. I wasn't sure how to write this and I still don't like this chapter all that much but I'll let you be the judge.**

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><p>Morgana was torn between emotions right now. She was still in slight shock of seeing her biological sire, she felt rage burning in her blood and wanted to march down to the dungeons and kill him right now. But she knew that her family wouldn't allow her anywhere near the dungeons until Gareth and his sorcerers were dead. And while she appreciated what her brothers were doing she also wanted to have at least a small part of revenge on the man. Morgana continued to think about what she could do as she listened to her father interrogate the lead sorcerer.<p>

"So you willingly joined with Gareth?"

"Yes"

"What was your reward for doing his bidding?"

"He promised us any woman we caught was ours to do with as we pleased"

The man answered as if in a daze.

Uthers face twisted into disgust as he continued,

"So why did you kill all those people without cause?"

"They were meaningless peasants who would die in the winter anyway. They were the ones who would not fetch us a price at the auction block. Once Gareth started his search for his daughter, we all redoubled our efforts in hopes to be rewarded first. He said that the first man to bring his daughter before him would be allowed to do anything he wanted to the girl" he said showing no emotion or tone in his voice.

The reaction to his statement was immediate; Uther was the first to throw a punch breaking the man's nose causing it to bleed profusely. Arthur followed through with another punch to the side of the face followed by a sharp slap from Morgana who looked disgusted and slightly scared. She didn't want to think of the things that could have happened to her, if Uther hadn't found her first. Merlin came and stared him in the eye and released part of his spell as the man came back to his senses. He tried to move his hand to cover his nose, but Merlin still controlled his body. Then he noticed the furious looks on the faces of everyone in the room. He could guess what he must have said, and judging by the look on Morgana's face he knew exactly what he said.

He knew they were all going to be executed so he decided push the situation a bit further.

"What? Did you think your father would take you back once we caught you? Please he only spoke of you when he was talking of getting his revenge. He had taken part of it the day he killed your mother in the forest, but you ran away before he could get to you. Now we all know where you ran away too" he sneered.

"Permission to kill this bastard, father?" Arthur asked coldly.

"Granted" Uther said he had had enough of listening to this man.

"Wait" Morgana called surprisingly calmly.

Everyone turned their attention to her.

"What is it Morgana?" Merlin asked.

"I know you all are just trying to protect me, but I want to play a part in the punishment of Gareth and his men. I request that since these men attacked defenseless people for entertainment, they be forced to fight defenseless and for our entertainment."

"Morgana!" Hunith was appalled by her daughters request "Two wrongs don't make a right. They will be killed regardless, surely that is enough?" She knew Morgana was not like this normally, but sometimes revenge really was needed for healing to begin properly. And a small part of her also wanted something drastic to happen to the men.

"I'm sorry mother but it is not. They made my birth mother suffer and I want her avenged properly. And since I cannot lift the blade to strike them down myself I ask it of my father and brothers."

"I promise you my daughter the men will be properly punished for their crimes against our family and those of the innocents they murdered" Uther said assuring Morgana.

Morgana nodded and gave a small smile as she moved back to be next to her mother. Hunith immediately grabbed her hand and gave is a gentle squeeze.

Merlin released the man completely from his spell, but still held his power bound. The youngest prince's eyes flashed gold and all of a sudden the man let out an unearthly scream and collapsed to the floor trembling.

"What's wrong with him?" Hunith asked, slightly worried since he was no longer bound.

"He no longer has magic. I stripped it away from him. Now the only way he can defend himself is with a sword and shield" Merlin stated in a voice that betrayed his age.

Every eye in the throne room was now fixed on the warlock. Uther was stunned, he never heard of such power before. He really didn't expect his son to posses such power.

He knew the prophecy of the druids, the one of Emrys and the once and future king. He was trying to comprehend how his son could have so much power, he had thought that only incantations could be used to wield magic, and that it takes time to master and physical strength to use. Merlin had the strength, but he had only been studying for a few years.

"You couldn't possibly be…" he let his voice trail off, and continued trying to understand what was going on. The man who had his magic taken away from him sat up staring Merlin straight in the eye.

"You're Emrys aren't you? The most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth; destined to help the once and future king unite the land of Albion and bring about its golden age" he said in an almost awe like reverence.

Uther and Hunith gave each other a look; they knew who the king was that was spoken of in the prophecy. After Arthur's birth, the druids came to Camelot and told Uther he details of the prophecy. But he didn't think he would be the father of _both_ men foretold in the prophecy. But now it seemed that their younger son was also part of this prophecy. However, only the adults seemed to know what was happening because Arthur, Merlin and Morgana were all looking completely confused. They had never heard of an Emrys or once and future king, what's all that about?

"I've had enough of this for today. The lot of you will be executed tomorrow at noon along with Gareth. Take them to the old dungeons and use the cells with magical bindings." Uther said glaring down at the men at his feet.

Morgana glanced around searching her families' faces, seeking to see what they thought. She wanted nothing more than to kill this man right here right now, and she was sure her brothers felt the same. But when she looked at her mother, her resolve broke. Her mother's face looked so sad and upset, as if she feared why her children wanted so much blood. She didn't want to do that to her mother, so she would rescind her request, but she still wanted to have Gareth's blood, no questions about it. She made her decision.

"Father, I want to rescind my request. Enough blood has been spilled on his account and I don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was able to anger me enough to get my family to kill him like he murdered the innocents, so he wouldn't have to choose for himself. If you would allow it, I want him sentenced to die tomorrow at noon with his brethren."

Morgana stated with the dignity and authority of her station in life. She looked back at her mother, who was smiling at her and nodding her head in approval. Morgana felt her heart swell with pride. Then she looked up at her father who was also wearing an approving smile that made her heart swell even more, same with her brothers.

"Is this your wish my daughter?"

"It is father. But I must also ask that Arthur and Merlin still be allowed to carry out the first part of Gareth's sentence."

"Very well, I give them my permission to do as they see fit. No one will interfere, not even I."

The princes knew just how much authority their father had just given them. They immediately turned to him and gave a deep bow as they said together "Thank you father."

Uther dipped his head in acknowledgement as his sons and daughter left the throne room dragging the last captive with them. Once the doors shut he let out a long exhausted sigh. He felt drained after all this. He then felt a pair of hands start massaging his shoulders.

"I've never been so proud of them as I am today" he said relaxing his shoulders.

"I agree. That was very noble, what Morgana did. She made the right decision."

"She did. I would not like to see her have so much blood on her hands so young. They also handled themselves very well; I was worried at first but they always manage to surprise me."

"I still don't like how you agreed to let them handle Gareth's punishment. They are too young to do such things" Hunith said as she continued to rub his shoulders.

"They were born to be rulers, such decisions must be made. I believe this will be a learning experience for them. I also agreed to it because I know they want revenge for what he did, I admit I want it also. And I think you do too" he said turning around to face her.

"I know and I understand your reasons. But they are my babies and no mother ever wants to see her babies have blood on their hands. Right now they are full of pride and blood lust; wanting to prove themselves to you and each other, as well as exacting their revenge. I just don't want them to become ruthless and blood thirsty" she said resting her head on his chest.

"As you said right now they are young and looking for revenge. In time they will learn how to control it and we have raised them to be honest and honorable. They will not become blood thirsty warmongerers. Would it put your mind at ease if I have them bring Gareth before us before he is killed?"

Hunith nodded, "I guess."

As much as she still didn't like the idea of her babies torturing and then killing someone, a small part of her wanted them to give him hell. She knew they would, she saw it in their eyes when they merely glanced at the man.

"Very well, I'll go to them now. In the mean time how about you go and refresh yourself dinner. I'll have them do the same and then we can all eat together tonight. How does that sound?" he asked kissing her gently.

"It sounds like a good idea, my love." They gave each other one last kiss before going their separate ways till dinner.

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><p><strong>As always please read and review! I really <em>REALLY<em> want to know what you all think about this story. It means a lot when I read your reviews! Honest! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: IDOM! Also I wish to apologize for the ridiculous wait on this story. I just lost the will to write, but thanks to Kohimoana I will pick this story up again. This is the last chapter about the slave trader business so its rather short. The next chapter will be completely different and longer. I promise! :) One more thing, this chapter contains some torture descriptions and the characters may sound a bit darker, but thats what revenge does to some. Ok, now onto the story...**

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><p>A few days later after Uther had finished his council meeting, a servant came in as said that his sons were requesting an audience with both him and the queen as soon as possible. Uther nodded in acknowledgement and sent the same servant to fetch the queen. Hunith arrived a few minutes later and took her place beside her husband.<p>

She leaned over and whispered "Is this going to be about Gareth?"

Uther simply nodded and gave her a small smile as the doors to the throne room were opened. Arthur was first to enter. He made his way to his father and mother and gave a bow when he reached them.

"As you requested we have brought Gareth to you before his execution. We have come to an agreement that no more can be done to satisfy us until he is dead. If you are ready, I will summon Merlin."

Uther and Hunith gave their permission, as Arthur turned and went to get Merlin. Soon they hear the clinking of chains grow louder as they neared the throne room. The king and queen gave each other a nervous glance before their children returned. The man they brought back with them was hardly recognizable. Hunith gave an audible gasp.

Gareth's face was completely swollen; one of his eyes were completely shut. His arms and legs were covered in innumerable cuts, burns and bruises. He walked with a limp and took small steps, the manacles and shackles were connected together and then wrapped around his waist which had two leads coming of it each ending in Arthur's and Merlin's grip. When they reached the thrones Uther and Hunith could hear the rattling breaths the man drew in, he obviously had a few broken ribs as well. Uther wondered how this man was even still alive let alone standing and walking. His attention was returned to the man before him and his wife as Arthur began to speak.

"Where are your manners? You are standing before the King and Queen of Camelot" he said in eerily calm and pleasant tone.

"You are correct brother. He has forgotten his manners" Merlin replied in the same tone as the man began to whimper,

"Please…I'm sorry…no more pain…please…I'm sorry…"

Arthur rolled his eyes as Merlin said,

"Then get on your knees" in that same tone as before.

The man made to move but not fast enough apparently as the princes pulled on the leads forcing him heavily down on his knees, he hand to hold himself up on his hands giving the king and queen a full view of the man's back. They both stared in shock, he had been whipped repeatedly. There didn't seem to be one area on his exposed body that was not marred in some way. Uther didn't want to think his children were capable of doing such a thing, but he had his proof before him. There was a part of him however that was glad to see the man in this state, he deserved so much more for the pain he had dared put a Pendragon child through. Hunith was struggling to comprehend that her precious babies did this, but just like Uther and as she said before, she was glad to see the man like this for hurting her youngest son.

"Are you satisfied with his punishment up to this point?" Uther asked.

"We are. As I said before only his death will complete our satisfaction" Merlin answered calmly. No hint or remorse or guilt in his eyes or voice.

"And what have the two of you decided on for his execution?" it was Hunith who asked, much to everyone's surprise.

"He is to be beheaded along with his brethren" Merlin said in a cold voice.

Uther wanted to say they were taking this a bit too far, but he remembered his promise to them and simply nodded his head in agreement.

"When is his execution set?"

"Noon" came the synchronized voices.

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><p><strong>Please leave a review to let me know how you liked this chapter andor story in general! It really would mean a lot! Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: IDOM! Heres the next chapter and it is not dark at all, I promise. I'm not entirely sure how I want the tournament to go, so if anyone has ideas/suggestions feel free to leave it in a review or PM me! :D**

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><p>After the events with Gareth and his slave traders, life for the royals returned to its normal routine. But things in Camelot can never be normal for long. Uther and Hunith were happy that Arthur and Merlin no longer had a blood lust for revenge on slave traders, and they were extremely proud at how seriously their children had taken up their training for the upcoming tournament.<p>

This event was the largest in the five kingdoms and this year Camelot would be hosting the event. So not only do the young royals have to uphold the prestige of their kingdom, but they also had to defend its and their honor for they would both be competing in the tournament. But Merlin did not know that his father had decided to let him enter the competition this year along with his brother. The king and queen stood at the edge of the training field watching their children spar with their knights waiting for them to take a break, and then they would go and tell their son their news. They waited until the knights were defeated and lying on the ground, but before they could move that saw something interesting happen.

Instead of taking their weapons with them, the knights handed theirs over to Arthur and Merlin. The young royals nodded their heads and then turned to face each other; a sword in each hand. They stood there in silence and completely still. Everyone on the field stopped to watch this spar. Uther had no idea they were both practicing dual wielding, it was a skill reserved for the most skilled fighters, Uther even had trouble dual wielding himself and Hunith was just watching eyes wide with surprise and pride. Then without any warning, the two lunged at each other.

Their fight was incredible, neither was able to land a blow on the other, blocking and parrying at every blow, Uther was stunned. He just watched his sons dual wield with each other, neither defeating the other and their form was perfect. He looked at Hunith who was just as surprised as he was. Their minds still reeling from what they just saw, the king and queen made their way over to their kids.

As they neared Arthur and Merlin saw them and immediately grew a bit anxious, they weren't exactly supposed to be dual wielding without permission. But they had been curious about it so they decided to try it in secret, and they quickly began to master it and love it. But it was still something reserved for the most skilled and senior knights. With a quick glance at each other they braced themselves for the coming storm. So when their parents approached they knew they were in it deep now; that is until their mother hugged them and then their father put a hand on each shoulder, placing himself between them, and began to walk back towards the castle. They both realized then it was high noon.

"How long have you two been practicing dual wielding?" Uther asked with what sounded like a bit of excitement in his voice, but Arthur was sure he was hearing things.

"A few months now. We saw Sir Leon and Sir Bors using it to spar with each other so we watched them for a time and then began teaching ourselves" Merlin said keeping his voice calm but clearly holding back excitement.

"Well your mother and I are very impressed. Your forms were perfect and you are both evenly matched against one another. Your footwork was astounding."

"Thank you father, but Mr. Two-Left-Feet over there" gesturing to Arthur "needs to work on his. What was that double step on your left foot when you blocked my right handed upper cut swing?" Merlin said clearly enjoying himself at his brothers expense, soon he was laughing pretty hard.

Arthur gave an indignant huff.

"My double step? What about the left handed parry where I almost knocked the sword out of your hand?"

That sent them into a light hearted glaring match before their father interrupted them.

"You two can be ridiculous at times, I must say it is rather entertaining. Now after all that training I imagine your both hungry" they both nodded.

"Good, you both can have lunch with your mother and I, we have some news we wish to discuss with you."

A short time later the four royals were gathered in the main hall, while their respective servants began to serve their meal. Once the servants were finished and retreated to stand away by the walls did Uther begin to speak.

"How is your training coming along for the tournament Arthur?"

"Very well, Merlin has been sparring with me on a regular basis helping me improve even more. And in return I help him as well. It will be an honor to fight in the name of Camelot to defend her glory" Arthur said as a sense of pride washed over him.

Uther just nodded as he watched them, Arthur was practically beaming as he thought about the events of the tournament. Merlin on the other had had a forced smile on his face as he ate. Uther glanced over to Hunith who nodded.

"Merlin, my son what's wrong? Your mood seemed to change as soon as your father mentioned Arthur fighting in the tournament. Tell us please" she asked in a gentle and yet prodding way.

"It's nothing mother. I'm just a bit tired from our training this morning, that all."

"Is that so? So it wouldn't improve your mood if I said I had decided that you will be allowed to compete in this year's tournament with your brother?" Uther said in a nonchalant voice with a half smirk on his face.

Both siblings' heads snapped up to look at their father, who was smiling behind the wine goblet in his hand while looking at them. Then their attention turned to their mother, who was trying to suppress a laugh,

"You should have seen your faces!" she said with a quavering voice.

"You mean it father" Merlin breathed, not daring to hope his father would say yes while looking him in the eyes.

Uther nodded still smiling as he took another bite of food.

"Thank you father! I promise I will make you and all of Camelot proud!" Merlin said beaming with pride.

"You are welcome my son. Now the tournament begins in 3 weeks, you and your brother must double your training."

"We will father, thank you again!"

And with that he turned to Arthur,

"What are you still sitting there for? We need to work on your jousting. That mare of yours seems a bit slow starting off."

"My skills? My mare? It is you who will be needing work, and I will be the one teaching you."

Merlin shrugged his shoulders "Sure Arthur, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Arthur let out a low teasing growl prompting Merlin to take off out of the hall and towards the stables, Arthur still growling hot on his heels. As they ran out, Hunith finally burst out with laughter. Her sides were hurting from laughing so hard. Uther too gave a few genuine chuckles at his son's antics.

"You do realize that since you just told them to double their training they are going to be out there from sun up to sun down in all weather, right? They are going to take you seriously" Hunith said as she began to calm down.

"I know they will, but it will be for their own good and that of the kingdom. We won't always be here and we must prepare them to rule after us. I'm sorry my dear, I don't mean to sound dark but it is the truth" Uther said resting his hand on hers as she looked at him.

She nodded,

"You are correct but I just don't want to see them worn out before the first event. I want to see them defend the title of Champion."

"They will. I have no doubt."

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><p><strong>Please leave me a review and remember to send me your ideas or thoughts as to how you would like this story to go! Thanks!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: IDOM! Here is chapter 13! It is a bit angsty and the characters may seem OOC but I hope that it is obvious why. Plus it is an AU. Anyway I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Ever since Merlin's birth the princes had been extremely close. They did everything together. Arthur was older so he naturally took charge in most situations, but Merlin had also shown himself to be a very capable leader just like his brother. They were both extremely skilled with the sword. The princes couldn't even defeat each other. They would spar for an hour or two before calling a truce. Their skills were legendary and known throughout out all the kingdoms.<p>

And this skill is exactly what King Alined and his Court Jester/Sorcerer planned to use to take over Camelot. Their plan was simple, his sorcerer Trickler would enchant the brothers and gradually force them to hate each other. They would dual to death and he would then lift the enchantment from the victorious brother; unless they killed each other themselves. Camelot would then be weak enough to attack as the kingdom mourned the death of one or both princes. For obvious reasons they told no one their plan so they were the only ones who were not surprised when Merlin threw his gauntlet at Arthurs feet at the feast. Arthur picked up the gauntlet as Merlin laid out the terms and the two princes glared at each other with fire burning in their eyes.

"Noon, tomorrow, to the death!"

"I accept your terms. You will be easy to kill; you were never a worthy opponent for me. No wonder father chose me as his heir" Arthur snarled.

"You will regret those words tomorrow _brother_. I will prove to father and the kingdom that I should be rightful heir. Your pride will be your downfall; I will kill you tomorrow."

Uther and Hunith were horrified. They had never seen their sons this furious at each other before. They had fought but it never lasted more than a day. Now they were going to fight to the death and technically there was nothing either of them could do. The ancient laws said that if a younger prince wanted to fight for the throne, he could. Also the knight's code said a challenge could not be rescinded once laid down. They powerless to stop their own children from killing each other and they hated it. Uther and Hunith also knew how good they were with a sword, or any weapon for that matter, and it made them all the more worried. They needed to talk with the man they trusted most.

"But Gaius you saw them! They would have fought right there if they had their swords!" Uther shouted his voice sounding hysteric at places.

"Sire you need to listen to me carefully. Your son's lives may depend on it"

But Uther just continued to pace, not hearing Gaius' words. He only stopped when Hunith forcefully grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. She could see the raw fear and panic in his eyes, emotions rarely seen on the surface.

"Uther, please try to calm down. I am just as worried as you are. But Gaius' just said he has information that could help us."

Uther closed his eyes and took a deep breath, when he opened them he focused on Gaius and nodded.

"I believe King Alined's sorcerer Trickler has enchanted them" Gaius held up his hand to silence Uther who had been about to rebuke him.

"I noticed that Arthur and Merlin's strange behavior started when the two arrived in Camelot a few days ago. You know that King Alined does not want this treaty between the five kingdoms. He revels in war and the money it brings him. I believe their plan is simple"

He paused here to let his words sink in. After a few moments Gaius continued.

"Your sons' skills with weapons and the knowledge of how close they are is well known. He plans on using those two things against Arthur and Merlin."

Realization spread across the monarchs faces as Hunith finished Gaius' thought.

"If they kill each other tomorrow the kingdom will be weak and that's when he will make his move to take over Camelot. Gaius is there any way to break the enchantment?" Hunith asked her voice thick with concern.

"I only know of two ways to do so. One is to kill the sorcerer. And the other, in this case, would be for one brother to kill the other."

"WHAT? Gaius you can't be serious! I can't allow my sons to kill each other, let alone one kill the other. There has to be another way. Please Gaius." Uther pleaded.

For Uther to say please the physician knew the king was desperate even if it wasn't showing on his face. He had heard that some people under this enchantment were able to break it themselves if they were told they were enchanted and that what they were feeling was fake. But it was very rare and hardly ever worked, yet the look on Uther's and Hunith's faces said they would try anything at this point. He decided he would tell the king and queen this last idea but warn them against it too.

"Your majesties, what I am about to tell you has hardly ever worked to break this enchantment and they then rely on the first plan I mentioned."

"Tell us" Uther ordered, tone serious.

"If your sons are told enough and shown enough proof that will show them they are enchanted, they may be able to break it themselves. But the chances of them actually breaking the spell are very low my lord" Gaius said seriously, trying to emphasize the meaning in the words to his king and queen.

Uther and Hunith nodded. They understood exactly what Gaius was telling them but they would do everything in their power to help their sons break the spell themselves.

All through the night and into the early morning hours, Uther and Hunith had kept their sons up telling them to go do something in a certain area hoping it would help them. Everything they told them to do was something they always did before King Alined arrived, but nothing seemed to help. They continued to stay as far apart as possible, glaring at each other. Both Arthur and Merlin refused to back out of the dual and soon their parents had to let them get some sleep before they fought in the afternoon.

Their father and mother however got no sleep; they couldn't when they were continuously worrying for their sons. The noon bells tolled before long and people began to make their way to the stands. Once the people were assembled the king and queen made their way to the royal box to wait for the princes to step onto the field.

Arthur and Merlin entered the field from opposite ends, dressed in full armor each carrying a sword and shield. They turned to their parents as Uther said,

"The fight will be to the knight's rules and to the…death." He said the last few words slowly and fearfully.

The princes bowed and then faced each other, eyes burning with hate. They didn't say a word as they crossed swords and took their stances, waiting for the start signal. The signal sounded and princes leapt into action. The fight was intense and the strikes were powerful. Uther had never seen them fight so hard before.

Arthur started out with a powerful offense causing Merlin to take a few steps back and use his shield more often than usual; which only angered him more. There was one major difference between the two princes that was hardly known; Arthur delivered powerful strokes in quick succession but he didn't have the stamina, Merlin on the other hand had stamina and speed, so while his strikes aren't as powerful he can deliver more of them tiring out his opponent over time. The princes played these weaknesses against their brother.

The fight continued on for some time, neither able to land a killing blow. They had lost their shields sometime ago and were now fighting with only their swords. Arthur and Merlin each took a swing at the neck only to have their swords meet in the middle, but instead of deflecting the blades to the same side they each went an opposite direction. This gave the princes to stab the other through the gut and they took this opening.

As the blades were driven deep, pain and confusion flashed across their faces as they looked each other in the eye; the once blazing fire now gone, replaced with regret. They were only able to mutter one word each as they fell to the ground blood pooling beneath them.

"Arthur…"Merlin gasped.

"Merlin…" Arthur whispered as the brothers slipped into a solid black world.

Uther and Hunith were on the edge of their seats the whole time never taking their eyes off the princes. They both watched, wide eyed with fear and worry, as they stabbed each other in the gut and fell to the ground, their blood pooling around them. The crowed also gasped and began to whisper as the two monarchs shot from their seats and ran to their son's who were already being tended to by Gaius on the field.

"Gaius?" Uther asked in a pained and shaking voice.

"They are bleeding out quickly; I need to get them to my chambers immediately if I am to have a chance at saving them."

Uther didn't say a word as he scooped up Merlin in his arms and ordered a few knights to grab Arthur and follow him. Uther practically flew to the physician's chambers and knew Hunith was only a step behind. Along the way he glanced down at Merlin, feeling the boy's blood seep into his own clothes and stain his hands. He kicked the door open and gently laid his son down on the table and stepped back as the knights placed Arthur next to his brother on an extra table. He felt Hunith grip his hand and arm tightly as they watched the knights place Arthur on the table. The knights immediately left not wanting to be near the king or queen while the princes were in this state. Seconds later Gaius came bustling into the room a few servants surrounding him as he began to bark orders out to them.

Uther were still just standing to the side staring at his sons then at his hands and clothes covered in Merlin's blood.

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><p><strong>So what did you think? Let me know by leaving a review in that lovely box just below! Also feel free to send me any ideas you have for the direction of this story, I'm always open to suggestions! Until next time! :)<strong>


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